captioning funded by cbs good morning, it's monday, december 24th, 2012. a christmas wish could become a christmas mess as a major storm will drop snow all the way from california to the northeast. is the new movie "zero dark thirty" telling the truth about torture. john miller looks back at the search for osama bin laden. >> but we begin this morning with today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >> reporter: winter storms create holiday headaches across the country. >> 93 million americans will be

traveling in the coming days. >> the weather isn't exactly helping us. >> a high-impact storm on the west coast producing flooding rain. >> a storm in california can bring a white christmas to parts of arkansas and oklahoma. >> will santa be able to make his delivery this year? >> oh, absolutely. rudolph is set. >> hundreds march on brooklyn bridge to call only congress do something. >> meanwhile nra is calling. >> is it crazy to call for putting police in our school to protect our children? then call me crazy. >> an american civilian advisory was killed by an afghan policewoman. >> hope for a solution to the fiscal cliff for being put on the back burner until after christmas. >> i apologize for my voice. i think this is divine intervention because we didn't deal with the fiscal cliff. >> michael crapo was busted.

"newsweek" will continue its digital format. >> if you haven't finished up your holiday shopping, don't worry. millions of americans are hitting the stores today. >> i have nothing done. i just started. >> all that -- >> i looked at the recent footage and your face and you don't look a day older than 32 years ago. >> wide open and an attack. that's three events. >> seahawks win it. seattle is in with the playoffs. >> and all that matters. >> norad will be tracking santa class as he makes his way around the worlding. >> on centimet"cbs this "cbs t welcome to "cbs this morning." i'm jeff floor. there is travel trouble across

the nation and on the ground in the air on this busy day before christmas. >> and the problem is a storm system that hit the west coast over the weekend. now it's moving east, threatening to cause problems all week long and anna werner is at dallas-ft. worth international parent. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, rebecca and jeff. we receive a steady stream of travelers coming in here at the dallas-ft. worth international airport but some across the country could have some problems if they're still on their way to their holiday destinations. that's because that fast-moving storm is coming over the rocky mountains and is poised to dump a lot of snow on the midwest as it moves to the northeast. those hoping for a white christmas will get their wish but they may be stuck seeing santa in the airport. more than 5,000 flights were canceled this week as snow smothered the midwest.

drivers didn't fair any better as heavy accumulation clogged roadways and buried cars. >> i wish i had my reindeer. >> aaa expects 93 million people to drive at least 50 miles this holiday season. but even those who dug themselves out once should keep their shovels handy. on the pacific coast, another fast-moving storm has been drenching the bay area with so much rain that flood warnings have been issued near san francisco. and in the higher elevations of the sierra mountains, more than three feet of snow trapped drivers for hours over the weekend. as the storm passes over the rocky mountains, it's expected to dump a few feet of snow and disrupt travel at salt lake city airport on christmas eve before piling snow on the midwest today and tomorrow. despite the forecast, one travelers used to polar weather expects to deliver with a little help from his friends.

>> i'm going to do everything i can. when rudolph gets that nose on, we're going where we're going any time we got to get there. >> reporter: oklahoma and arkansas could see six inches of snow, and they might even get a little bit of the white christmas here in dallas, a rare event, but the national weather service says possibly an inch or two. rebecca and jeff, back to you. meteorologist jeff berardelli has our forecast. where are the trouble spots? >> good morning, rebecca. it looks like a lot of the country is going to be affected, especially the eastern half. during the day it's fairly quiet, although we have a weak system moving through the southeast. there may be minor delays there. that will translate to snow in places like pennsylvania and new york. minor disruptions during the day today. but the bigger story is what happens during the day tomorrow. we think we'll see a widespread

outbreak, eastern texas, mississippi, alabama, and georgia. we may see numerous tornadoes. me of them may be on the strong side. we urge you to stay individual leapt if you're in the southeast. and what we also have going on on the northern side of this system is a lot of heavy snow. it's good news and bad news. the good news is white christmas like little rock and southern parts of st. louis. the bad news is this storm moves into the ohio valley, great lakes, and interior northeast on wednesday. some places are seeing over a foot of snow, and that's going to cause major travel problems as we head on into wednesday probably and thursday morning as well. jeff? >> thank you very much. the debate over gun control continues after the national rifle association took questions for the first time since newtown. america's largest gun rights group says we don't need new laws. chip reid is in washington with that story. good morning.

>> good morning, jeff. the national rifle association was silent in the days following the tragedy in newtown. now it's speaking out and reigniting an explosive debate over gun control. the nra says it will not budge from its long-time opposition to gun control, insisting that the only thing that will stop school shootings is armed guards. >> if it's crazy to call for putting police and arms security in our school to protect our children, then call me crazy. i think the american people think it's crazy not to do it. it's the one thing that would keep people safe and the nra is going to try to do that. added that banning particular guns simply doesn't work. >> we had a so-called assault weapons ban for ten years. it was allowed to expire. studies say it made no difference. so if we're looking at things that are effective, let's talk about them. but first let's talk about

protecting our kids. the full court press comes from those who are showing an openness to change. democratic senator mark warner of virginia who has an a-rating suggests that the nra lobbying group is out of touch. >> to me simply saying existing gun laws are enough, status quo is acceptable, just didn't pass my gut check as a father. >> most remain wary of any new gun control measures. >> i've been christmas shopping all weekend and people have come up to me saying, please don't let them take my guns away from me. >> retiring hutchison is one of those looking at it. >> i think we ought to be looking at where the real danger is, like those large clips. i think that does need to be looked at. >> now, nra officials say they do not want to require schools to have armed guards in the

hallways. they want to leave it up to the discretion of local officials. also on sunday wayne lapierre is asking lisa hutchinson to put armed guards in every school. >> we're going to support an immediate appropriation before congress to put police officers in every school and we're going to work with asa hutchinson who has agreed to work with us putting together a voluntary program, drawing on retired military, retired police, and secret service and all these people that can go in and make our people safe. >> asa hutchison joins us now. good morning. >> good morning, yes? >> why does there need to be an armed guard in e'er single school? >> as you emphasized. it needs to be voluntary but the status quo is not acceptable as senator warner said.

and i think we ought to look at the safe testity of our schools. right now you have one third of our schools that do have an armed presence, a uniformed officer, police officer present at school. why should one third have the school safety while the two thirds do not. this christmas season, i think the highest priority should be the safety of our children, elementary schools. i have grand children there. i think one of the aspects of it would be to have a greater around presence, very discreet presence that can provide a greater level of safety. >> congress, you're absolutely right some schools have armed guards. there was an armed guard at columbine. virginia tech had its own police force. if armed guards do not prevent

massacres at those schools why do you think armed guards would prevent more of the shootings. >> that's really the purpose and goal of my security experts. the team i'm going to pull together is looking at solutions across the board. it's not just about an armed presence. that's one element of the plan. we hope to have many elements of the plan as well from increased perimeter security, access controls, and these experts will look at the local schools and what can develop as a model plan, not one size fits all but different solutions for an urban school, a rural school. provide those free of charge to a local school district that they can tweak to help keep our children more safe. so it's not just about one solution, but that is one option that we as a society would be very much in error if we took that off the table, which is the armed presence. we have those armed guards on our airplanes in a very discreet fashion. it's not the wild west, but it's

a greater level of security that gives air transportation followers better safety and we ought to provide the same for our children. >> what about additional measures like additional gun control? >> well, you know, that's going to be a debate and we have no problem with that debate. my focus is on the safety side, and i recognize that you can pass ten more laws in congress and it's not going to change the risk that exists in our school. all the lawmakers will go home and say we passed more restrictions, we've done something great. but the fact is will our children be more safe because of that. and i think the most important thing is to provide greater security and safety in the schools through protection. and that's what's going to make a difference. >> but congressman, if someone has easy access to a military assault-style rifle, i guess i'm still asking if someone's not a member of a military, why do

they need a military assault rifle? >> well, i mean, one, we've had an assault rifle ban in our country, than did not accomplish the objectives. we had columbine during the time the plan was in place. so, again, the fbi, the department of justice, has not indicated through statistical analysis that that has made any difference at all in school safety so the risk is still there. >> why do you think a mother needs a military assault-style rifle? do you think that's needed for protection? >> well, i think there's freedom in this country to have weapons. i think there's obviously ways you can control that. we've passed prohibition on machine guns which is automatic fire. and so you cannot have that in our society. whether you should have additional restrictions is going to be a debate that's in congress. my job is not to determine that.

my job is to increase safety. i know the right way to do that is through helping our schools. and we cannot wait six months in order for congress to debate whether we're going to have more controls or not. we have to do something now for our children's safety. and we have one third of the schools with a retired police officer or resource officer there that has an armed presence. it can make a difference, even though it's not an exclusive difference. it's one element we off to look at. >> thank you so much, asa hutchinson. >> thank you and merry christmas to both of you. >> merry christmas. meanwhile the final three funerals were held over the weekend and elaine quijano has an interview with one of the first responders. >> we got in there and it led to the boiler room.

>> reporter: they went into the sandy hook elementary school minutes after the cal went out. >> when i saw that officer penna had a rifle, i kind of told him, you're in front, buddy, and the heroism he displayed just to get in front of us -- >> the gun powder smoke in there is nothing i ever want to smell again because it was just overwhelming. >> what were you hearing at that point? >> silence. there was no noises. >> the quiet was deafening. every second seemed like an hour. >> i never experienced fear like that ever. it was -- i mean it was free-falling almost. >> reporter: the officers made their way through the kitchen and into the lobby. >> that's when my world came crashing in on me because i saw the victims there and i knew this wasn't a joke, this wasn't

-- this was real and we had somebody that was murdering people in there. we knew that we couldn't help them because they were beyond that. you just wanted to be fake. your mind keeps telling you that this is not real. >> reporter: what's been the hardest part of this for you? >> we're supposed to run toward danger. that's what we do. so i don't really care what i'm going through. i think about the parents, about those teachers. i think about them all the time now as they put themselves between a guy with a rifle who was meant on killing them and the children. and i don't know if i could have the courage to do that, to know i'm going to die and to just face it, and they laid down their lives for those kids, and those are the true heroes here as far as i'm concerned. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning," elaine quijano, newtown, connecticut. >> the true heroes. well, on this christmas eve, the

fiscal cliff is one day closering and much of the talk in congress focused who's to blame for a lack of a deal. there are nine days off to head off mandatory tax cuts and tax hikes. nancy cordes is in honolulu where the president is having his christmas vacation. and nancy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, rebecca. it's almost as if the president and congressional leaders have called a sort of time-out when it comes to the fiscal cliff. there are no major discussions going on right now about what to do now that talks between the president and the speaker have appeared to have stalled. they were both here yesterday for the funeral of daniel inu way and & we're told they didn't know what to do next. the president urged leaders to craft a sort of scaled down plan that simply extends the bush tax rates for the middle class and

extends long-term unemployment benefits for another year. but jeff and rebecca, it's really unclear whether even a package like that could pass both houses of congress, and so the president is going to be cutting his vacation here short. he's heading back to washington midweek to work with congressional leaders. but at that point, as you know, there's going to be little time left. >> the pressure will be on and no do-overs for this. i want to turn to michael crapo and his dui. what kind of deals are being worked out? >> he's 61 years old. we're told on sunday morning he was driving outside alexandria. he ran a red light, was given a sobriety test and failed. he was arrested, mug shot taken and released on bond.

we're told that while we don't know what his blood alcohol level was, he leased a statement saying how very sorry he was. britain's telegraph reports prince harry is to have killed his first taliban fighter. it happened a few weeks after harry arrived in september. he's serving as a gunner in an apache helicopter. a hero lifeguard who rescued six died over the weekend. police say 23-year-old dylan drowned in a surfing accident over a week ago. navy officials say commander job price died saturday of non-combat-related injuries. and a "wall street journal" investigation finds prices on websites vary depending on the user's information. now, the paper found that staples' website displays

different prices for those depending on where they live. home depot and resee ta also

the head of the cia says "zero dark thirty" gives a false impression that torture led to finding osama bin laden. this morning i why there are so many critics. we'll speak with john miller if "zero dark thirty" gets it right or wrong. christmas tree farmers in the midwest say supplies are running dry because of this year's drought. >> they have lost two and three years worth of trees. that may convince some of the farmers just enough to give it up. >> we'll speak with farmer who's determined to keep growing. on "cbs this morning." [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day

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dramatic cell phone video. officer edward norton jumped into the frigid waters of boston harbor after a woman fell in. he pulled her to a nearby life rachlt she's okay. he's turned his back on holiday and is focusing on law enforcement. >> welcome back. the controversy surrounding "zero dark thirty" didn't affect the box offer opened the weekend. the film opened in just five theaters and took in more than $400,000. >> new year's eve implies that torture helped find osama bin

larden. >> reporter: the film "zero dark thirty" is a hit with audience and critics but the oscar front-runner does not have many fans at the cia. it's so offensive that director mike morell sent a letter to the agency's employees last friday telling them it's a dramatization, not a reality of the facts. the film creates the strong impression that enhanced interrogation teaching them. that impression is false. the film about osama bin laden has reignited debate over what the cia called enhanced interrogation was really torture. >> the information i saw derived from the detainees we had cia facilities and that including those who underwengt techniques was invaluable. >> president obama ended the use of enhancement techniques in

2009 and both parties have been trying to play down the impression that such methods led intelligence investigators to bin laden with senator john mccain speaking out last year before the film even hit the nation's theaters. >> i think it's supremely unfair to the men and women in our intelligence community and military who labored f a decade to locate obama bin laden to claim falsely that they only succeeded because we used torture. >> mccain with senators dianne feinstein and carl levin wrote to sony complaining "zero dark thirty" has the potential to shape american public opinion in a disturbing and misleading manner. they asked sony to consider correcting the impression that c cia's use of interrogation techniques led to the capture of osama bin laden. she said showing the techniques was vital to the form. >> i think it was important for

us to tell a true story. it's controversial but it's part of the history. >> part of history perhaps but only future historians might know how accurate holiday's first look at the search for bin laden actually is. for "cbs this morning," john blackstone, cbs news. >> sony hat nos responded. senior correspondent john miller who once interviewed bin laden is a former director of cia national intelligence. we'll get the information from you now. how accurate is this portrayal? >> well, the portrayal is extraordinarily accurate in the way that movies are accurate, so all of that up to and including that one of the detainees was subject to the waterboarding actually gave up the name of the courier. the key there is he gave it up

before the waterboarding but the film is trying to say, overall, this was the big part of the process of questioning people but all the reports have been fairly clear that it did not -- it led to critical information but not that information. i think we're asking the wrong question here. which is could they have obtained the same information would the waterboarding. >> and we'll never know. >> and we'll never know. >> the film never posits that this was -- we've all seen it. terrific movie. >> yep. >> i don't think the film ever posits this was the main reason why they found bin laden, but it certainly makes the case that it played a role. >> yeah. it seems to. i'm not sure that that was intentional or that everybody's political gun has a trigger cobbcob cocked so far back that that was going to cause a discussion. morell issued a notice, a press

release, really kind goichk through the details and saying it's not an accurate portrayal, vis-a-vis the tear riis tick techniqu techniques. he's aiming it at two. two, aiming it at his own employees saying you're going to see this movie. we understand that it's a movie and that they can't have a thousand characters but we also understand that hundreds of you played a role. >> was the cia asked as they were filming? >> i doubt it. basically movies like that are the greatest recruiting tool for an agency like tl cia. remember they look at the capture of osama bin laden and the movie that chronicles it. it's a crowning achievement of

the cia. >> everyone comes out heroically in this movie. >> you don't walk out thinking the cia are bad people. now interestingly there was an inmemorandum that was not a press release and between the lines basically it said the senate is going to lease threle report. but the last paragraph was the read between the lines part where he basically said we did what we thought was legal at the time based on the times we had. nobody should be ashamed. you all did what you had to do. >> merry christmas, john. >> thanks, john. >> merry christmas to you guys. great to see you. >> there are enough christmas trees to go around this year, but what about next year. this morning we'll show you how a severe drought has destroyed trees in the midwest. next on "cbs this morning."

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analysts predict that americans will find 30 million christmas tree this year but in the midwest which has been hard hit by drought, many christmas tree farmers are having a rough season and jamie yuccas went to one farm that doesn't have enough trees go around. >> reporter: business was brisk a few weeks back in cedar falls, iowa. ♪ >> reporter: santa was on hand. >> merry christmas was on hand. >> reporter: but the farm was closing early this year because

of the drought. >> i thought, oh, they're only open because this is the last weekend. >> i think it's sad. >> reporter: this is what she's talking about. some 15,000 christmas trees killed by the drought. >> so this was a total loss. >> 100% loss. >> reporter: closing early was not a decision that came easily for danny moulds, a christmas tree farmer. danny has but hit harder than most. he estimates he's lost at least $300,000 worth of trees. >> this tree is a seed ling we planted this spring. this will be a 2-year-old. this will be a 4-year-old. >> reporter: the punishing drought hit iowa christmas tree farmers mostly hard. about 20% of all sales nationally are made at farms like this.

the iowa christmas tree growers sew yags polled its members and found individual farmers lost anywhere from 50% to 100% of new plantings. danny moulds' father is president of the association. >> and already in some cases like danny's farm and some of the others, they have lost two and three years of trees. they can't make that up. that may be just enough to convince some of these farmers to give it up. >> reporter: probably not danny. when he bought his own farm six years ago, his father didn't want him to grow christmas trees. >> did you want your son to grow a christmas tree farm? >> no. no way, shape, or form did he want me to grow trees. >> i told him to get on and forget about the trees. >> reporter: danny's own operation is a family affair.

that's his father-in-law at the front gate. his cousins get the trees ready to go. his wife runs the cash register while his mother-in-law feeds everybody. it's a family tradition danny can't imagine giving up. >> are you ever going to quit this? >> probably never. how can i? i will always plant christmas trees. >> why? >> it's been my whole life.

it's been a difficult year in spain. one in four people there out of work, but it's ending with some christmas cheer. nearly 2,000 people hit the jackpot in the world's richest lottery. the story of el gordo is next on "cbs this morning." and it feels like your life revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region

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jackpots. spain's jackpot has a prize pool bigger than any in the world. >> this year it's worth more than $3 billion. translation, mucho dinero. barry peterson has the story. good morning. >> good morning. it's been a rough year in spain with 25% unemployment. spaniards are celebrating this morning with a lot of extra cash in their pockets. they won it in the lottery called el gordo. translation, the fast one. the numbers tumbled in a couple of machines that looked somewhat like a rocket ship and there was magic for those looking for an extra christmas present. it will help us to breathe a bit so our advances improve. and lady luck hat a sweet sound.

school kids sitting out the winning numbers and millions waiting to see if they would share in the $3.3 billion in prisons. unlike lotsries in the u.s. where they get a big jackpot. el gordo is spread among thousands, good for a country where many hunt for foot in the garbage. so the champagne flowed across the country. the biggest winners walked away with up to half a million dollar. this unemployed electrician had to borourow money from his girlfrie girlfriend's father to pay for a ticket and won $2,500. it's to be for the house. i don't know what to say. so much happiness. >> many pulled together. that meant multiple chances to win. that's what these supermarket workers did. the dancing and hugging pretty

much tell it all. and in this economically ravaged company, a different kind of tears, tears of joy. this is the 200th anniversary of el gordo, but one part of that tradition is ending. next year winners of more than $3,100 will have to pay tax. >> i didn't understand most of the celebration bus they were clearly happy. >> very happy. >> good for them. by the way, spain's still in very rough shape. 50% of the youth are unemployed right now. so a little bit of cheer and a little bit of money. >> i was saying i hope they don't get inflation as a rouflt new money in the economy. >> millions of us are on the ot this christmas eve. travel expert peter greenberg has the details.

>> our one and only pedro. >> we're back with more "cbs this morning" right after this. to the best vacation spot on earth. (all) the gulf! it doesn't matter which of our great states folks visit. mississippi, alabama, louisiana or florida, they're gonna love it. shaul, your alabama hospitality is incredible. thanks, karen. love your mississippi outdoors. i vote for your florida beaches, dawn. bill, this louisiana seafood is delicious. we're having such a great year on the gulf, we've decided to put aside our rivalry. now is the perfect time to visit anyone of our states. the beaches and waters couldn't be more beautiful. take a boat ride, go fishing or just lay in the sun. we've got coastline to explore and wildlife to photograph. and there's world class dining with our world famous seafood. so for a great vacation this year, come to the gulf. its all fabulous but i give florida the edge. right after mississippi. you mean alabama. say louisiana or there's no dessert.

this invitation is brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth! time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. citi price rewind. ♪(music playing)

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it is 8:00 a.m. welcome back to thchl. this morning's traffic rush could slow to a crawl as the snowstorms cross the country. we'll show you where the biggest problems could be. merry christmas, bedford falls, they rework "it's a wonderful life." but first here's a look at today's yt eye opener" at 8:00. some could have some problems if they're still on their way to their holiday destinations. >> and the problem is a storm system that hit the west coast over the weekend. now it's moving east. >> looks like a lot of the country is going to be affected, especially the eastern half. the good news is places like oklahoma city, and the bad news

is this travel problem as we head on into wednesday and probably thursday morning as well. >> the national rifle association was final list in the days that followed the tragedy of newtown and now it's speaking out. >> i think the most important thing is to provide greater security and safety in the schools through protection. >> it's almost as if the president and congressional leaders have called a sort of time-out when it comes to the fiscal cliff. there are no major discussionings going on. moves like that are the greatest recruiting tool for the agency like the cia. dramatic cell phone video out of boston, officer edward norton jumps -- edward norton, really? jumps into the boston harbor after a woman fell in. he pulled her to a nearby life raft. >> being a hero, that's what it's all about. >> that cop is a hero to me.

i'm rebecca jarvis with jeff dplor and charlie, gayle, and norah are off today. a white christmas is on tap for much of the country as a storm moves east ward. heavy snow in the nevada made for dangerous driving. some mountains are expecting up to five feet of snow. jeff berardelli is watching it. what's happening now. >> you can see this producing mainly light rain, a couple of weak thunderstorms and on the northern side there's going a little bit of snow, which will make for a white christmas tomorrow morning rngs but the bigger story is definitely whaes happ what's happening in the southeast. christmas day we're going to have to stay very aware of the situation. looks like we're going to see a widespread severe weather outbright in parts of texas, mississippi, alabama, and also jo looks as though it mate see

tornadoes. some of those could be be on the strong side. what we're also watching is for a heavy snowfall. now, the folks in oklahoma city, little rock, and all the way up to around st. louis will. >> snow on christmas day but, of course, that's good news. but eventually the storm system moves into the ohio valley, great lakes, and interior portions. sot get over a foot of snow. what happens is really tough travel midweek i love that we have the guide in miami watching for the snowstorm. also on this day before christmas, it's time to get those last-minute presents and cbs travel editor peter greenberg gets five gifts. >> i hope they like what i'm about to give them. >> i think they'll love it. you've got a great one for the airlines. >> this is a concept i like to share. it's called portable stairs.

we're upset with jetways. how many times do we have planes land. we don't need a jetway. wheel us some portable stairs. nobody misconnects the flights, no more fuel burn for the airlines waiting to come into the gate. everybody's hachlt i asked everyone to give me a logical reason why they haven't done this. merry christmas, everybody. >> you're there if they can't make it up the stairs. >> that's your problem. you don't knee the jet way. >> what about airports. >> they tried this overseas and it worked like a charm. it happens every year. you're about to push back from the gate but the temperature is below 30 degreases. you have to wait for the truck to come with the toks.

chemicals, you get diseased, push back to the gate and by the time you get out to the front you get de-iced again. why not have central de-icing locations like a car wash at the end of the runway. they've done it in europe. you're going to save money, time chemicals. >> how about hotels, peter? >> this is my gift for the hotel. 100 1rks 50 watt, and 200 watt light bulbs. do not trap me with mood lighting. you put me with mood lighting i'm in a bad mood. people do not change their lifestyle. i like to read in my room. like to be able to see in my room. so new light bulbs. >> i'm going to try to push you over the travel cliff by talking about cruise lines. what should they be doing. >> very simple. more sea, less ports.

i'm a big fan of the time you spend at sea. i think there's nothing less desirable being in a straw hat trapped on a bus going to a kilo indication. >> where everybody's sent. >> you don't have to always be herded on and off the ship. >> how about travelers? >> no more entitlement issues. you're not entitled to anything other than to be nice. the person who works for that airport or airline, they've been abused by their own company. you know what? once you're nice, they mary you. >> it takes no energy. >> and do what my mother always told me, write your thank-you letters. >> peter greenberg going out on a limb. thank you very much. two weeks ago we reported on a case of jon hammar, a marine

veteran who was locked up in mexico for four mochlts he's on his way home for christmas. the return trip has not been easy. >> reporter: when he cross over the border into the u.s. friday night it seemed like jon hamm hammar's four-month ordeal was over. hammar had been in a mexican jail in august for bringing a shotgun across the border for a surfing vacation with a friend. he was held in in a notorious prison and in this photo he's actually chained to a bed. >> we actually started receiving calls from members of the cartel saying, you know, we have your son and we're going to kill him. and they put him on the phone and i realized he really did. >> to make matters worse he was sifers from post-traumatic stress disorder after tours in iraq an afghanistan.

after getting nowhere with the authorities they went public. >> bring him home. >> reporter: his attorneys agreed. >> he was innocent. i said i've got to get him up. >> reporter: hammar is on his way home driving with his dad from texas all the way to florida but it's been a bumpy ride. on sunday he was briefly hospitalized in louisiana. >> he had about a 103 fever, so they decided to take him to the e.r. >> reporter: family friend elisa cabrera. >> i think the anger that johnny feels at this point is coupled with frustration. why did this happen to him. all he was trying to do is go on a trip to reand and surf. he's angry that it took this many months to be free. >> reporter: and free he is and hopefully if all goes well, jon hamm mar will be home for christmas. for "cbs this morning,".

the final print of "newsweek" southbound to hit newsstands. it shows its former offices right here in in new york. the malg zone has been published for almost 80ee years. starting next year you'll have to go online to get any news from "newsweek." we have new evidence that location is everything this morning. it may even influence what you're doing for the holidays. a poll by civic science shows that 35% in the midwest plan to work on christmas day. that is the larchl evident group of americans to do so. folks in the northeast are partiers. they'll attend more parties. people in the south seem to be chilling. 29 expect to not work during the halds. >> and in the midwest

. kenny rogers was once voted farchts si favorite singer of all time. this year he might be northern new jersey's favorite santa. we'll show you what he's doing for kids affecting by superstorm sandy. that's ahead on superstorm sandy. [ female announcer ] mcdonald's dollar menu.

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g. >> and there's g. >> i'd like to solve. >> seven swans a swimmin'. >> yeah. that's not the -- yeah.

your turn. >> she said swimmin' instead of swimming and they didn't give her the money. "wheel of fortune" is getting some grief from jeff glor and others. >> and she picked the "g." >> exactly. antithe board. she said she's from florida and that's how she talks and she says it cost her a thousand bucks. >> wow. everyone says it's not christmas without "it's a wonderful life." this year in rockford, illinois, they're retelling the show in old fashioned radio. that is still ahead on "cbs this morning." stay with us.

"this is george. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter. he's built a rocket ship to travel into space." google, how far is earth to the moon? the moon is 238,900 miles... "the great moment had come." 3, 2, 1... [ giggling ]

christmas movies are as traditional this time of year as egg nog and tinsel. >> they're retelling the story in an old-fashioned way. ♪ >> it's an unusual performance. >> tonight we have a heart-warming story just in time for the holidays. it's a wonderful life. >> a presentation by the artist ensemble theater at rockford college, it is a show about a live radio play, but one that is not actually broadcast beyond the walls of the theater.

>> i'm shaking the dust of this krukky little town off of my feed and see the world. >> do you wish you were broadcasting it? >> it would be have interesting. it's very odd for us in the cast. it does present this story we know so well in a very different way. >> i told you i'm your guardian angel. i know everything about you. >> you look like the kind of angel i'd get. >> the actors are playing people who played roles in the radio drama. >> the actor playing george bailey is not playing jimmy stewart playing george bailey. it's a fictional actor. >> not from the movie, nor from stewart's own radio broadcast of the play in 1947. >> and i'll be better off if i hadn't been born. >> what did you say? >> i said i wish i had never been born. >> seven actors, 57 parts.

tom dobson plays so many he talks to himself. >> the richest and meanest man in all of county. peter, potter's here. >> i play around 12 characters, a little more than that because i've taken some liberties with a few of them. so somewhere around 14. >> ramad morris doubles as a master of sound. remember when clarence the angel fell into the river? >> that's someone flailing in the water? >> yeah. >> it does sound like there's somewhat of a current. >> he uses the obvious tools, rotary phones, shoes, a whistle, alock with others less apparent, like a krish it sound. >> you have to know which side of the comb to use, is it the wider part or the closer combs. >> audiences get it. >> sitting in the audience, tried to think what it would be

like to listen to itover the radio. it's exciting. >> you can hear it playing in your head. >> reporter: and as the actors prove, seeing is believing it's a wonderful life. for "cbs this morning" dean reynolds, rockford, illinois. >> what was the tradition in the jarvis household? >> oh, we had so many traditions in the jarvis household. "miracle on 34th street." for you? >> "christmas story." there were some good movies that came out from "lincoln" to "the master." we were talking about "zero dark thirty" a while ago. we're going to talk about the means when "cbs this morning" comes back.

what makes you a dingo expert. >> i wonder what makes you so curious. >> what did you say, boy. >> calm down. no offense. >> not taken. >> i would prooesh yat if you could direct your line of inquiry toward me. one, you dmot have anything to drink. can i get you a tasty refreshment. >> >> yes. i'll have a beer. >> wonderbar. >> always a good call. welcome back to "cbs this morning." quintin taryn teno's jane go unchained has made this year's top ten list. we're looking at the best movies

of 2012. great to have both of you with us. >> thank you. >> great to be here. >> we were just saying a lot of big movies opened the year. >> yeah. i think it was a pretty good year and it was a year when a lot of very good movies came from kind of the bigger hollywood studios like "argo" and "flight." i think they were better than the offerings in previous years. >> i think you felt more strongly that way than i did, but, yeah, there were certainly strong offerings. >> let's count down the list. >> my top five are "amore," not a cheery christmas movie for anyone looking for light-hearted entertainment but really wonderful, powerful, dev stagt meefb with two great performances. then "lincoln," speaking of great performances. just a movie that -- i just keep

coming back to, and i think it's so rich. it's such an interesting story, a wonderful topic, so well made. then "beast of the southern wild." it's kienl of the little indy that could from the summer i just adored. the movie owns in february called "the gatekeepers," interviewing with the six leading heads of the israeli secret police, which is really a terrific movie and number five, "the master," one that was not to everyone's taste but i thought was terrific. >> scientology. >> quickly, your top five. >> i think my top five overlaps with tony's. "the master," queen of versailles" is a wonderful document by lauren greenfield. it's about the richest couple who builds the biggest house

when the recession hits. "lincoln" deserves multiple viewings. if you saw it, go back and see it at christmas. you'll see something else. zero dark 30 is a must-see for me. >> what about renting? what do you recommend? >> you mean from the last year? >> what to rent. >> i think people will go back and catch "brave," the pixar movie. it sort of got buried. came out early in the year. the people who are pixar fans gat "brave" a great viewing. >> i wasn't a huge fan of the first two movies but it's worth it. i think it's worth talk about, "looper." i'm not a huge sci-fi guy but i thought it was a huge film. what else kind government missed

here, jarvis? >> i think people show go back and see "moonrise kingdom." wonderful movie. >> it was very nice. >> charming. >> a sweet film. >> yeah, yeah. >> what about you, rebecca? you said you only went to one movie. >> my joke was i saw one movie in 2012 with you, jeff, so that was going to be my favorite because we got to see it with you. >> we did go to goegt. by the way, "the gray." we sat in the front row. >> very front row. >> let me pitch you on one more. jarvis you can check this out. this documentary i talked about and game the movie. it with was very, very good. >> i enjoyed the queen of versailles as well. it deals with a resession and an extraordinary couple. how do things turn out when the tapes start to turn and especially with the housing

market it's a great combination of reality tv juiciness and really a lost substance. >> and it was a great year for documenta documentaries. we're living in a great period for documentaries. i had to make a list. "the central park five" was ready good and "hue to survive a plague." >> is there any you disagree on? >> "beast of the southern wild." we never discussed it much. it had such a feeling and such a mood. the director's a really exciting director and it didn't all come together. it had to do with the nonprofessional acting. >> i thought that girl was amazing. and her father too. it hat me from beginning to end.

what about "les mis," it's opening christmas day. a lot of attention. not necessarily good attention. >> i think people who loved this musical and there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people around the world who are fanatical of the show will like it. it's very tree at trick cal. it's very large. some of the people who are actually singing in it can actually sing. >> and they had to do it live. >> they had to do it live. not everything. russell crowe has a bit of a rough time. >> very quickly before you go what's going to win best picture and best holiday move. >> "zero dark thirty" and the christmas coarol from 1939.

>> bad santa. >> what a shocker. >> what a shock. thank you both. merry christmas, guys. watching his grandson wasn't a big stretch.

there's way that we talk to our kids. for instance, where you would say no, we would say consider the consequences. or where you would say don't, we would say, maybe you should try this. see, that way the child feels that he has value, he has worth, he's heard. >> that's a way. >> that's one way to do it. bill kr crystal and marisa tomei play a father and daughter with completely unrelated parenting styles. a few weeks ago they spoke with

charlie and gayle which was, as they say, inspired by actual events. >> the best thing about this movie is where the idea came from. >> yes, that's true. i'm a grand father of three and two thirds. we had the girls all alone. >> was it hard? >> let's just put it this way. yes. >> you and your wife of 43 years. >> yes. and on the seventh day i rested. came in and said i've got an idea for story and here we are, five and a half years later we've got it done. >> apparently you did okay because now we have a movie to thank you for. marissa, let me talk to you for a second. i thought this is the only one you can take the whole family to on christmas day. >> absolutely. >> i think it's only -- >> i'm not the movie's publicist but i believe it. >> you are now. >> there's nothing like embarrassing or creepy. sometimes i'm sitting with other

members of my family and i'm think i don't want to be watching this. >> did you cast it? >> yeah. >> and bette midler? >> well, bette, bette was -- i was -- just sent from heaven. >> i thought that too. >> we knew when we were making movie when we got the go-ahead from fox, we were like, we want bette. we called her, had a dinner the next night and we were married by the time she sat down. she ate off my plate, she drove home. >> she corrected you. >> you went to sleep. >> and then marissa had come to meet me and audition in 1991 to play my wife in "mr. saturday night." she gave a fantastic greeting but she was a little too young. i called her agent and said

she's not going to get the part but she's phenomenal. she's a great actress, so cute, so beautiful. she's everything. >> yeah. >> so then when we said who could blake her, i said -- she comes into the same office that she auditioned for me and, yeah -- she said, now? >> she said, now am i too old? >> our scenes together are like father/daughter. >> i still remember you from "my cousin vinny." what was that iconic line. >> my biological clock. >> you know how to do comedy, you now how to do drama. do you like dog one more than the other? >> i love doing comedy. i had the greatest time on the film. i love being with these guys and it affirmed for me, this is what i want to do. i want to do comedies.

comedies, comedies. but sometimes, you know -- >> why did it take time from the time she walked in to i have a brilliantied. >> you are billy crystal. >> you reach a certain age where they don't terrorist you like they used to. they're like do we really want to make a movie about grandparents? i thought there are 77 million people our age. >> it's about fathers and daughters, not just about grandparents at all. >> what sit you know that most don't know about how to host the oscars? >> i don't know. >> you do it and they keep coming back to you. >> you know, i worked really hard and i like being up there. i think that's the most important thing. you've got to want to be up there and a lot of preparation. it's -- the world is a rough room. >> the world is a very rough room. >> you've got to -- you've got to know that the first five or six rows that everyone's nominated, nervous, in

uncomfortable clothes, you've got the lights on, which i don't like as a comedian, cameras roaming through shooting reaction shots. you have everything going against you as a performer but we're very well prepared. >> no matter who you are, you still want to list. you're sitting there and you hear the list of categories and you hear your name, no matter who you are, you still want to win the oscars. >> i still think the best performances are those who don't win and opposed to the ones who don't. >> i'm so glade lo i lost. i'm so glad it's so and so who i hate a lot. >> seth mcfarland is hosting this year. >> wear comfortable shoes. he's a very smart guy and very funny. i think he'll do a good job. >> "parental guidance", marissa, seemed to have a lot of improves

-- improvisation. because i was watching it and the dialogue flowed so -- i thought they had to be making this up on the fly. >> billy ad-libbed a bunch, especially from the booth. >> yeah, i play a minor league baseball announcer. >> he loves baseball. >> my -- >> did yo throw out a first pitch and get special training to do that. >> i've thrown out first pitches. and i actually played for the yankees. >> one day. >> one day, charlie, one day. >> what a great day. >> no. but you took a couple of strikes an then you found one off. >> yeah. >> and then you struck out. >> but, hey, i was 59 years old. >> that's young. >> i actually fouled a 90-mile-an-hour fastball down the line. >> how did that feel. >> that felt great. somebody yelled double and i was pe tre feed because if i ran to second, i'd have to stop twice

to pee. man, this was fun. >> billy crystal. kenny rogers has had a hit in each of the last six decades. he was thinking of a different record. the record damage from superstorm sandy. we'll show you what he did to help when "cbs this morning" continuing on christmas eve.

this holiday season is difficult for tens of thousands devastated by superstorm sandy.

a music legend himself decided to surprise kids up new york. as michelle miller reports he was inspired by another musical charity. ♪ >> i started watching that 121212 concert and i realized what a great thing that was for the community, but it wasn't solving the problem with the kids. >> reporter: 121212 raised a watershed $50 million for the thousands displaced by victims of hurricane sandy. >> kenny rogers wasn't intimidated. he wanted to make his own contribution. >> someone took care of the parents. i wanted to get involved with the kids. >> reporter: this area was hard hit and it was one of the last stops on rogers' christmas tour.

laura eddings, miss eddings says to her children that bergen county students weren't just misplaced but by other thing. >> reporter: when you walk into the fire station, and you see this -- >> you know what i want to do, just jump for joy. >> reporter: along with the local businesses, schools and public sectors, rogers donated 1,200 toys to the englewood toy drive and challenged the concert goers to contribute just as much. >> you have families just miles away from families that have very little, and you just know that without our help there probably won't be a san that comes around. >> reporter: lieutenant ray rodriguez joining the englewood fire department. his second year in, he started

the toy drive. >> who else is endrenched in the community than the fire department. i enjoyed being with them. i know where it's supposed to go and it will be there when it's supposed to be there. >> reporter: rogers grew up in a house project in houston, texas, and he remembers salvation army delivering gifts to his family on christmas. >> you could tell he got it. he really felt it. and this is something that he gave from the heart. >> what he has done for these children has never been done before, so i bought his c.d. >> j. >> reporter: over 750 families in englewood will have christmas presents to open tomorrow morning to model for giving what rogers called layered success. >> i have this theory if something touches me i can make it touch someone else.

>> miss edding says her new country music idol has got it right. >> start out, find what your community needs and build on it and call if you need any help. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning" michelle miller eng englewo englewood. >> good for him. what he's doing, there's a concert for sandy relief. so out of something very bad, something good came down. >> you always like to see it when people rise to the occasion, and in particular this city not folding. >> jarvis, wonderful sitting with you today. we'll see you on wednesday. charlie, gayle, and norah will be here tomorrow. your local news is up next. merry christmas, everyone. you say you're not interfering but iran is interfering by all accounts. are you ever overwhelmed by your legacy? >> one of the questions that comes up from a place like haiti, there are pledges and promises, but ho honey, don't use your sleeve.

vo: for cold and flu seaso the's clorox bleach.

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